B.C. peewee hockey coach gets 15 days for tripping

By THE CANADIAN PRESSPublished February 27, 2013 - 5:15am Last Updated February 27, 2013 - 8:12am

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RICHMOND, B.C. — A Vancouver father who purposely tripped a young hockey player while coaching his son’s minor league team will serve jail time for the assault in an unexpectedly heavy punishment a provincial court judge said should warn other parents to keep their cool.

Martin Tremblay must serve 15 days at a provincial corrections centre for hurting the child because he was in a position of trust and was supposed to be a role model when he instead acted out in a post-game fit of anger, said Judge Patrick Chen.

“Society will not tolerate the assault of children by adults,” Chen said Tuesday, as he read his ruling from the bench at provincial court in Richmond, just south of Vancouver.

“(The sentence is) a signal to other parents heavily involved in the sporting activities of their children that they must be seen as models of good and acceptable behaviour and not as instigators of violence and of riotous behaviour.”

Tremblay was volunteer coaching the UBC Hornets peewee hockey team last June when he stuck out his foot, sending two players of the opposing team tumbling to the ice during the traditional post-game handshake.

A 13-year-old injured his wrist and had to wear a cast, while a 10-year-old — who was not the intended target — did not suffer any bruises.

The dust-up was caught on amateur video, garnering more than two million hits on YouTube, while the 48-year-old was arrested and charged.

Tremblay, whose son played for his team, pleaded guilty to one count of assault in November.

In late January, the Crown asked for a sentence of 30 days under house arrest and probation, while the defence put forward the possibility of a suspended sentence or large fine.

But Chen elected to impose an even harsher sentence.

Defence lawyer Bob Bellows said that while his client was not expecting such punishment, he will follow the conditions in order to make amends.

“He lost his wife, he lost a number of construction contracts, he’s rebuilding his life after this incident,” Bellows said outside court. “He’s paid a heavy price for his actions that day.”

He added that Tremblay will likely never coach hockey again and has also been barred from his position as a leader with Scouts Canada.